A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and in particular to a gaming device having a bonus scheme that is selectively accessible by the player from the base game operation of the gaming device, which increases player excitement and enjoyment.
The popularity of a gaming devices depends in part upon the level of enjoyment and excitement that the game provides to its players. Gaming device manufacturers constantly strive to make gaming devices that provide as much enjoyment and excitement as possible. Providing a bonus round or bonus scheme in which a player has an opportunity to win larger awards or credits in conjunction with the base game operation of the gaming device is one way to enhance player enjoyment and excitement.
Known gaming devices having bonus schemes have employed a triggering event that occurs during the base game operation of the gaming device. The triggering event enables a player to play a bonus round or bonus game to its fruition and then return to the base game. One such game is the TOP DOLLAR(trademark) game, which is manufactured and distributed by International Game Technology, the assignee of this application. In the TOP DOLLAR(trademark) game, the player plays a primary game until reaching the bonus round, which occurs when a combination of the reels of the gaming device matches a combination programmed into the controller of the gaming device. Another example is disclosed in European Patent Application No. EP 0 945 837 A2 filed on Mar. 18, 1999 and assigned on its face to WMS Gaming, Inc. Here, the device operates in a basic mode until a xe2x80x9cstart bonusxe2x80x9d event occurs, which causes the device to shift to a bonus mode. In both bonus schemes, the device randomly determines when the bonus round begins, and the player plays the bonus scheme until the bonus round ends.
The European Patent Application No. EP 0 945 837 also discloses a xe2x80x9cbonus resourcexe2x80x9d that a player may obtain during the normal operation of the gaming device, which the player can thereafter apply during the bonus round. However, the level of interaction between the base game and the bonus scheme is limited to the function assigned to the bonus resource, such as overriding an event that would otherwise end the bonus round.
In an effort to provide a new and attractive way to satisfy the demands of players, one solution is to provide a gaming device having a bonus scheme in which the player may selectively enter the bonus round whenever the player is qualified to do so. Also, providing a bonus scheme that interacts with the base game operation of the gaming device would enhance player enjoyment and excitement.
The apparatus and method of the present invention provides a gaming device having a bonus scheme, wherein the player may choose when to play the bonus scheme as long as the player is qualified to do so. The method of qualifying the player to enter the bonus round connects or links the base game operation of the gaming device with the bonus scheme. Both the control given to the player and the interaction of the base game and the bonus scheme enhance player excitement and enjoyment and serve to differentiate the present invention from known gaming devices.
In general, the reels of the base game of the present invention contain a plurality of symbols which alone or in combination with other symbols yield one or more bonus awards to a player. The bonus awards are escrowed in a separate area of memory and are shown in a separate escrow display. Once the player obtains a single bonus award, the player becomes eligible or qualified to play the bonus scheme, and the player may choose to do so at any time. The player plays the bonus scheme by applying one or more bonus awards to prize areas or indicators of the bonus scheme that have a cost associated with their play. The more expensive prize areas or indicators have a potentially higher payout or prize.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bonus awards are keys and the prize areas or indicators, which are more or less expensive to play, are keyholes. This embodiment includes a 1-key keyhole, a 2-key keyhole and a 3-key keyhole. The keyholes cost one, two and three keys, respectively, to play. A player with three keys may play the 3-key keyhole once, the 1-key keyhole three times, or the 2-key keyhole once and the 1-key keyhole once.
Each indicator or keyhole is associated with a separate prize map stored in the memory or processor of the game""s controller. In the preferred embodiment, the prize map of the 3-key keyhole contains, on average, the most valuable prizes, while the 1-key keyhole contains, on average, the least valuable prizes. To play a keyhole, the player presses a button associated with the keyhole. After pressing a button associated with the keyhole, the game randomly selects a prize from the appropriate prize map and subtracts the appropriate number of keys from the player""s key escrow. The prizes preferably are base game credits, or alternatively are base game credit multipliers.
The game""s controller stores individual symbols and combinations of symbols that appear on the video reels of the gaming device during its base game operation. When these symbols appear on the reels after a player plays the base game, the game awards bonus awards or keys to the player. A particular symbol may be worth one or a plurality of keys, likewise a combination of symbols may be worth one or a plurality of keys. The present invention preferably places an upper or predetermined limit on the amount of keys that a player may accumulate in escrow during the base game operation of the slot machine. When a player reaches this limit, the player must use the escrowed keys. However, the game enables the player to wait, accumulate many keys and then play the bonus scheme for a relatively long period of time. Conversely, the player may play a key or a set of keys as soon as the player acquires them. Accordingly, after the player is qualified (i.e., the player has at least one bonus award), the player may selectively decide to play the bonus round at any time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming device having a bonus scheme, wherein the player may selectively choose when to play the bonus scheme, and wherein the bonus scheme interacts with the base game operation of the gaming device.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.